Penang’s hill slope development and floods : let’s talk about it now

YESTERDAY, Malaysians woke up to a devastating news coming out of Penang – another flood and hill slope collapse.

This time somehow, even deadlier than the ones that had previously hit the state.

Penangites said that this was the worst natural disaster in the history of Penang but then again, every disaster is the worst for someone.

Granted that Kedah and Perak were also inundated but Penang, undoubtedly, had suffered the most.

What has been particularly heart-breaking, other than the lives lost, is the fact that people are becoming more accustomed to this type of news.

Some even knew how it was going to play out – we’re shocked, we’re sad, we offer thoughts and prayers and almost on cue, someone will come out and say: “This is not the time to be criticising one another. Lives were lost.”

Tacitly, it means that this is not the time for anyone to attack the DAP-led State Government.

Sometimes I wish I could use this convenient logic every time I do something wrong.

“Mom, this is not the time that we politicise the fact that I just kicked a mentally challenged kid for scratching my car with a kitchen knife. This is the time for us to unite as a family and focus on the fact that the kid’s parent might be filing a lawsuit against me.”

Back to Penang’s flood and hill slope collapse.

So, if after an environmental tragedy is never the time to talk about sloppy environmental protection policies, then when is the time?